The present invention relates to a locking system for stacking boxes as well as to a stacking box system with several stacking boxes stacked on top of one another, where each stacking box exhibits one locking system.
It is a known practice to sort components, in particular individual components, that are to be assembled into one unit at an assembly line, into various stacking boxes that may also exhibit several subdivisions, and to stack these boxes onto a palette. These palettes can then be prepared on an assembly fixture such that the individual components are well visible for retrieval from the stacking boxes.
Of course, such stacking boxes are also stacked on Euro palettes, especially for transportation of other goods.
Stacking boxes arranged on such Euro palettes must be secured for transportation to prevent slipping. For this purpose, it is common to secure the stacking boxes to the palette using strap bands, or to wrap the stacking boxes together with the palette using so-called shrink film. Such measures are time and material consuming packaging steps with the additional consequence that the palettes must be freed of the packaging material at the assembly area; in addition, such packaging material must be disposed of. In particular as a consequence of such strapping bands, the problem arises that the stacking boxes can be deformed and damaged on the edges where the strapping bands are located. This is an additional reason why it is common to cover the stacking boxes stacked on the palette on their upper side with a covering, which on the one hand covers and closes the stacking boxes that are located in the top position, and on the other hand ensures a protection for the edges. Additional palettes may also be stacked on top of one another using these covers.
Based on the state-of-the-art described above and the related problems, it is the objective of the present invention to create a system, in particular a locking system, where the disadvantages mentioned in the state-of-the-art above do not occur and where particularly costly packaging material, as described above, will not be necessary.
This objective is achieved with a locking system for stacking boxes, where individual plate-shaped elements are provided, where two each of such plate-shaped elements can be assigned to two opposite sides of a stacking box and can be attached to this stacking box, where each element exhibits locking components on its top and bottom side, where said locking components can be locked by engaging in locking components of elements that are assigned to stacking boxes that are stacked above and/or below.
The invention also relates to a stacking box system with several stacking boxes stacked on top of one another, where each stacking box exhibits a locking system as described above such that the individual stacking boxes are locked to one another.
Thus, the locking system for stacking boxes subject to the invention consists of individual plate-shaped elements that are preferably located on the face side of stacking boxes with rectangular base area, that is, located on the narrow side, that is, they are bolted to or by some other means attached to the stacking box in this area. These individual plate-shaped elements exhibit on both their top side and their bottom side, that is, in the area of the stacking box base and in the area of the upper edge of the stacking box, locking elements that are locked together with stacking boxes located above or below, which exhibit such plate-shaped elements with locking components as well. Thus, the individual stacking boxes can be stacked on top of one another and at the same time they are secured to one another with the locking elements that engage in one another such that they cannot separate or slip. At the same time, it is, of course, possible to transport such stacking boxes in the form of a stack without the stack falling apart even if the stack is not held in the vicinity of the bottom stacking box. With such a locking system, no additional packaging materials are required for the transportation of such stacking boxes, in particular such materials that need to be disposed of after unpacking.
Preferably, such a locking system exhibits locking components in the form of hook elements that engage in corresponding counter parts of the respective stacking box stacked above or below, where for this purpose eyes or hooks may be provided, or as is preferred, openings are provided where such hook elements can engage.
Furthermore, in an additional embodiment, the individual hook elements can be assigned in pairs to the top or bottom side of the element.
To enable an easy and uncomplicated separation of the individual hook elements from their engagement with the locking components of the other element, particularly without having to use special tools, an actuation device should be integrated in the plate-shaped element with which the hook elements can be separated from the engagement with the locking components of the other element upon actuation. A connecting component that connects the respective hook elements of one pair to each other has proven to be a particularly simple, constructive measure for building such an actuation device, where the two hook elements are released from their engagement simultaneously by applying a pressure force or a pull force. After releasing the connecting component, the hook elements can return to their starting position, that is, to the position where they can be placed in the connecting component of the other plate-shaped element in a locking manner.
To enable a sufficient movement of the hook elements, and that with a high flexibility, the hook elements may be provided with a flexible arm that with its one end is connected to the base body of the plate-shaped element while a locking component is located at the other, free end.
A hook lip should be provided at the hook elements, possibly with a slanted surface that can guide the hook lip into its locking position. In addition, the hook lips of a hook element pair should be pointing apart from each other to the outside of the element, especially in connection with the connecting component, such that the two hook lips can be separated easily when actuating the connecting component.
The plate shaped elements must be build robustly, since it is possible that great forces may affect these elements, especially when big stacks of individual stacking boxes are formed; however, such plate-shaped elements should also be light-weight. For this reason, an H-shape of such a plate-shaped element with a crossbar and four free ends is preferred. With such an H-shaped configuration of the element, the respective locking components can be provided at the four free ends. Especially in connection with the hook lips as have been described above, two of the four free ends of the H-shaped element can exhibit locking components in the form of openings for the hook elements to engage. Hook elements that are positioned at the aforementioned flexible arm can then engage at the cross bar such that the respective flexible arms are protected between the two legs of the H-shape.
In addition, in connection with an H-shaped element, the connecting component, which serves the purpose of an actuating device for releasing the hook elements from their engagement, should, for one, be located in the area of the free ends of the flexible arms and, for another, the connecting component should run about parallel to the crossbar. To support a locking engagement, if a connecting bar is provided as an actuating device, this cross bar can then be curved in the shape of a bow, such that, when it is not actuated, it exerts pressure on the hook elements such that they are pushed apart from each other.
The plate-shaped elements as described can be manufactured as synthetic injection mold components.
To integrate such plate-shaped elements in stacking boxes, they can be arranged in a flat manner on the outside of two opposite sidewalls of such stacking boxes, or stacking boxes can be used that exhibit a cavity running vertical in the side wall, where such a plate-shaped element can be inserted such that it does not protrude beyond the outside area of such a stacking box.
As already described above, stacking box systems can be erected in connection with such locking devices, where several stacking boxes are stacked on top of one another. The respective bottom stacking box can then be locked to a palette using its locking components with which it is generally locked to a respective other stacking box. For this purpose, corresponding locking components for the other locking components to hook into must be built into the palette. Furthermore, the respective top stacking box of a stack can be covered with a covering, where this covering is locked into at least one part of the locking components of the top stacking box. Thus, no separate packaging and assemblies that would have to handled as individual components are required to attach a stack to the palette and to attach a covering to the stack(s); instead, a closed system is being built with the locking system as described, that is, the respective locking components and elements are, on one hand assigned to the stacking boxes, and on the other hand fitting palettes and coverings are provided.
It is obvious that several stacks made up of the same number of stacking boxes can be arranged on such a palette, for example on a so-called Euro palette, where the stacking boxes of a respective stack are locked to one another. The respective bottom stacking boxes are then locked to the palette, while the top stacking boxes of the individual stacks are covered with a common covering, for example a field of two times six stacking box stacks such that this common covering provides additional safeguarding of the individual stacks in the unit. Furthermore, such a covering can also constitute a stable support for placing an additional palette to build palette stacks.
To design the locking system to be even more flexible, the respective plate-shaped elements that are assigned to one side of a stacking box are preferably made of at least two element components, where the one element component exhibits the upper locking components and the other element component the bottom locking components. Based on the two-part design of the respective plate-shaped elements, the distance between the two element components can be changed to adjust the upper and lower locking components to stacking boxes of different heights. The two element components are then locked to one another at the adjusted height.
Lips and indentations that are arranged in a specified array or partition may be provided for locking the two element components to one another. The height of the plate-shaped element can then be adjusted according to the array specifications through different positions of the lips and indentations.
In a simple embodiment that also enables a fine adjustment of the height of the plate-shaped element, the lips and indentations are formed by respective toothed racks or toothings that are formed as toothed racks.
For the plate-shaped elements, comprised of at least two element components, to be able to absorb great forces in the direction of the locking components, that is, viewed at the height of the stacking boxes, without the locking components to disengage, it should be possible to engage the lips and indentations perpendicular to the plane of the plate-shaped elements or the element components. In this manner, it is possible to align the indentations and lips with narrow tolerances such that a tight fit is ensured.
In their relative positioning to one another, where the indentations and lips engage in one another, the two element components can finally be secured with the attachment of the plate-shaped element on the side of a stacking box.
It should be noted that the plate-shaped elements cannot only be built of two element components for adjusting the height, but also of three or more parts should this be required for constructive reasons. For example, the plate-shaped element may consist of a central carrier element that exhibits in an adjustable arrangement at its top and bottom sides one additional adjustable element each that carries the respective locking components.